Baltic Birch Withdrawal! Crisis

[Dan Case LR]

I'm about to build a shop stand for a Jet JDS-12B disc sander. I decided to go with a shop-built stand instead of the Jet open stand for the sake of utility and storage--I plan lo load it up with drawers and put it on casters.

I went to my usual wood purveyor today to pick up a couple sheets of 3/4" Baltic Birch, my default for building jigs, shop stands, etc. To my dismay, all I found were a couple badly bowed sheets of 1/2". My wood guys called their supplier, but the supplier was also out of 3/4". The best promise I could get was two or three weeks. That won't work for me. My problem is that there aren't any other vendors in this area that sell Baltic Birch in less than full units. I'd love to try Appleply, but that's even harder to find by-the-sheet here.

I absolutely despise the garbage the Big Box stores try to pass off as hardwood plywood, but it's beginning to look like my only viable option if I'm going to get this project done and get back to my segmented turning work. Is there anything in big-box-land that even comes close to Baltic Birch's 13-ply strength, stability and screw-holding power? Any gems hiding among the voids and micron-thin veneer? Or should I just shelve this project until I can get the good stuff?

Thanks!

D.

[Rich Enders]

I am not going to be of any help (except in possible commiserating). I was planning to build a table which would require a 60 by 60 inch square sheet of 13 ply, and struck out. Where O where to find the old staple?

[Rick Potter]

I just bought some 1/2" and 1/4" pre-finished a few days ago, and they had plenty of 3/4" at my local store.

Rick P

[Brian Hale]

My Lowes and HD Both sell 3/4 Plytaium (sp?) subflooring for around $38 a sheet. It stays flat and any voids I've come across are pretty small. My closest BB suplier is 2 hours away and they don't always have it in stock.

Brian

[Peter Quinn]

Two weeks sounds good. In the grander scheme of things I'd rather wait for the right materials than rush forward using something less than desirable. I've learned to manage my time around the vagaries of materials and hardware aquisitions. The new JIT format many suppliers run should be more appropriately named Not Quite In Time. I say move forward, prep blanks, tune machines, sweep, use your time for something productive, and wait for the materials you really want. If you have storage space and budget it might make sense to throw an extra sheet or two on the order to avoid this going forward.

[Max Neu]

Dan,
I would suggest you contact some local cabinet shops in your area,I am sure you will find one that will sell you what you need.If they don't stock it,I am sure they can add whatever you need to their next order,and there shouldn't be a minimum order.A custom shop will have access to anything out there,and much better quality than you can get at a box store.I help out a few hobbiests and contractors in my area when they need something they can't get,like hardware,sheet goods,hardwood etc.I make a few bucks on it for my time of ordering it and handling it,and they are happy to get better quality and they save alot of money compared to buying from places like Rockler.
Just be sure to tell them exactly what you want,most cabinet suppliers sell both import and domestic plywood,the import is the same stuff you see at the box stores.

[lowell holmes]

I quit using BB plywood years ago because so much of it is CR**P.

We have two lumber purveyors in Houston that provide absolutely perfect cabinet grade plywood.

I would look for dealers in Little Rock that have it.

[Peter Kelly]

I'm about to build a shop stand for a Jet JDS-12B disc sander. I decided to go with a shop-built stand instead of the Jet open stand for the sake of utility and storage--I plan lo load it up with drawers and put it on casters.

I went to my usual wood purveyor today to pick up a couple sheets of 3/4" Baltic Birch, my default for building jigs, shop stands, etc. To my dismay, all I found were a couple badly bowed sheets of 1/2". My wood guys called their supplier, but the supplier was also out of 3/4". The best promise I could get was two or three weeks. That won't work for me. My problem is that there aren't any other vendors in this area that sell Baltic Birch in less than full units. I'd love to try Appleply, but that's even harder to find by-the-sheet here.

I absolutely despise the garbage the Big Box stores try to pass off as hardwood plywood, but it's beginning to look like my only viable option if I'm going to get this project done and get back to my segmented turning work. Is there anything in big-box-land that even comes close to Baltic Birch's 13-ply strength, stability and screw-holding power? Any gems hiding among the voids and micron-thin veneer? Or should I just shelve this project until I can get the good stuff?

Thanks!

D.

Don't the big box stores carry 18mm Sandeply? Stays flatter than the softwood sheet material in my experience.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you're building shop furniture, and you're stuck with buying at your local Borg, check out their ACX plywood. I've seen surprisingly useful stuff there. The face ply is much thicker than hardwood plywood, and any knots on the A face are plugged. The cost is around $40 for 3/4". I've found it flat, unlike most of the plywood at my Borg. (Flatness may depend on what mill produced it, and how it has been handled after it left the mill, so be careful.)

[Dan Case LR]

If you're building shop furniture, and you're stuck with buying at your local Borg, check out their ACX plywood. I've seen surprisingly useful stuff there. The face ply is much thicker than hardwood plywood, and any knots on the A face are plugged. The cost is around $40 for 3/4". I've found it flat, unlike most of the plywood at my Borg. (Flatness may depend on what mill produced it, and how it has been handled after it left the mill, so be careful.)

I hadn't considered using ACX, but stopped by my friendly neighborhood Orange Box and took a look. On my way to that aisle I took another look at the Sandeply (blech) and 3/4 hardwood offerings, which left me unimpressed. There oughta be a rule that you can't count a ply if it's as thin as paper.

Maybe it was the recent view of the in-store hardwood options, but I spotted the ACX and locked on with my eyes before I verified its identity with the rack tag. The first thing I noticed is the lack of edge voids, and for a moment I thought the edge looked like Baltic Birch--then I counted the plies. Only seven, but the thickness of each ply (including the faces) are equal, making the edge profile look more substantial. I pulled out a sheet and looked it over, and the "A" face was flawless.

The only downside I could see was the grain pattern of the face, which screams "Spruce-Fir-Pine!" to a hardwood addict. That, and I know it won't grip screws as well as the BB does--but I'd be surprised if it doesn't equal (or exceed) the screw-gripping power of those sad excuses for hardwood on the next aisle. I plan to use a nice White Oak board I have on hand for the door fronts and frame, and well-finished it might just draw my eyes away from that SFP look on the sides of the piece.

Not my first choice, but far from the last. I'm still trying to get my hands on a worthwhile sheet of Birch or Maple plywood, but if I strike out the ACX is a definite contender.

Thanks, Jamie!

D.

[Larry Browning]

Ok Dan, sometimes there is a price to pay for not compromising one's standards. My feeling is that you are not going to be satisfied with anything less than your initial expectations. You did not say why it was that waiting 2-3 weeks was not going to work for you, but in my reading between the lines, it appears that it is mostly because you are simply impatient and want to get on with building it. Why not just put that new sander on the workbench or some other temporary location and, as you say, "get back to your segmented turning work" until the stuff you really want becomes available again? Seems like the perfect solution to me. Patience is a virtue that we are running out of rapidly.
On the other hand, if you are a professional, and need this to continue supporting your family, then I take it all back.

[scott vroom]

Dan, did you check with Acadian Hardwoods in Little Rock? They claim to have Baltic Birch 3/4" x 5' x 5' inventory....lots of it. $42.

[Dan Case LR]

Dan, did you check with Acadian Hardwoods in Little Rock? They claim to have Baltic Birch 3/4" x 5' x 5' inventory....lots of it. $42.

My understanding is that Acadian is strictly wholesale and won't sell small lots to cash customers. Have I been misinformed?

D.

[scott vroom]

I just spoke with them....they'll sell you a couple sheets of BB. They asked that you call ahead an hour or 2 to give them time to pull the material from the back.

Sounds like you should be calling them.

[Dan Case LR]

Thanks, Scott. I'll give them a call in the morning. Do you have a contact there?


D.